Influence Positively Interview - Lorie Huston
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian with 20+ years of experience with dogs and cats. She is also a talented free-lance author and blogger and has contributed to numerous publications, including Pet Sitter's WORLD, FIDOFriendly, Dancing Dog Blog, Dawg Business and many others. Lorie is the featured pet care writer at Suite101.com, a contributing writer in Dog and Cat Diseases and Conditions at About.com and the National Pet Health Examiner at Examiner.com. In addition, she is a co-founder and moderator of the popular twitter chat #dogtalk. Her increasingly popular blog is the Pet Health Care Gazette. More information about Lorie is available at www.lorie-huston.com.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
My idea of perfect happiness is knowing that all of my friends and family (four-legged and two-legged alike) are happy, health, safe and content. Knowing that my work as a veterinarian and as a writer helps to keep other people's four-legged friends healthy is important to me also.
If you could come back as a dog or a cat, which one would it be & why?
It would have to be a cat, but with a few caveats. I'd want to be one of those cats who live indoors and are pampered and spoiled, definitely not one who is left outside to fend for myself. I'd want to be a cat versus a dog because I've seen the way my cats live. They eat, they sleep, they play, and then they do it all over again. Cats don't have to go outside in rain, sleet or snow to do their duties. They can stay inside, comfy and cozy, while Fido and his human mom or dad go out for a walk in cold unpleasant weather. But that doesn't mean I don't love dogs too!
What is your pets most treasured possession?
I think I'd have to say the possession my cats treasure most is me. I'm pretty sure my cats see me as their personal assistant, always ready to fill the food bowl when it's empty, to freshen that water dish or to scoop that litter box. I'm also their personal neck scratcher, entertainment committee (who else can fish that toy out from underneath of the couch?) and sleeping buddy. Of course, in return for all this, they very kindly allow me to share their house (and to pay the mortgage every month.)
Your proudest achievement so far?
That's a tough question. There have been so many achievements. From graduating from veterinary school and becoming a veterinarian to seeing my first work published in a widely read venue, each seemed the most important at the time they occurred. Most recently, being asked to participate in a panel of experts discussing blogging and social media in front of my fellow veterinarians and veterinary professionals at BlogPaws West 2010 is probably at the top of the list.
Who are your heroes in real life?
There are so many people I admire. To name just a few: Nancy Kay, author of Speaking for Spot, for urging pet owners to become educated enough to be the best advocate for their pet's needs. Mike Arms, president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center, for being so inspiring to so many others and helping so many pets find their way out of bad situations and into forever homes. Anthony Holloway, owner of K9 Cuisine, and Candy Blakeslee, owner of Best Friends General Store, for not only having the courage to run their businesses based on their own personal code of ethics but also for being so willing to support causes that help improve animal lives. Everyone who accepted the Be the Change for Pets challenge and is doing something positive to improve the lives of animals (or even just the life of one animal). Those are just a few of my heroes. I think we all have it within ourselves to be heroes.